Help for families, estates and power of attorney
If you’re looking after a storage unit for someone who has passed away, or for a family member who can no longer manage their own affairs, we want to make this as simple as we can.
We protect every customer’s account the same way. That means we can’t look up, confirm, or share account details until we know we’re speaking with someone legally entitled to act for them. This isn’t about making things difficult. It’s how we make sure nobody can get into a unit or account that isn’t theirs.
Once we have the documents below, we’ll review everything and tell you exactly where things stand.
What we need
What you’ll need depends on your situation.
If the person has passed away:
A copy of the death certificate. A funeral home certificate or provincial death certificate both work.
Proof that you’re the executor or legal representative. Usually the will showing you named as executor, or a Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration from the court. If there’s no will and no grant yet, contact us and we’ll explain your options.
A photo of your own government ID. Driver’s licence or passport.
If the person is living and you hold power of attorney:
A copy of the signed power of attorney document. It needs to cover financial or property matters, not just health care.
A photo of your own government ID. Driver’s licence or passport.
How to Send it
You can take a photo of each document with your phone and email it to us. You don’t need a scanner, and we don’t need originals. For access to the unit, we may ask to see the original document.
Email mstorage@acl.ca with your documents attached. Put the person’s full name in the subject line and, if you know it, mention which location they rented at.
If you’d rather bring the documents in person, you can drop them off at any of our staffed offices during business hours:
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Halifax -
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Lower Sackville -
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Truro -
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St. John’s
Common questions
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Not until we’ve verified who we’re speaking with. Even confirming an account exists is private information, and we treat it that way for every customer.
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Get in touch anyway. If you’re named in the will, that’s often enough to get started. If there’s no will, tell us where things are at and we’ll let you know what we can do in the meantime.
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No. A power of attorney ends when the person dies, and the executor takes over from there. If you’re also the executor, you’ll just need to send the estate documents instead.
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Once you’re verified, we’ll walk you through the balance and your options. We’d much rather work this out with you than let it go further.
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No. We know that’s frustrating, but it’s the same rule that keeps your loved one’s belongings safe from anyone else.
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That’s okay. Share this page with whoever is handling things, or ask them to contact us directly. If you’re not sure who that is, reach out and we’ll help you figure out the next step.
Need a hand with any of this?
If anything on this page isn’t clear, or your situation doesn’t quite fit, reach out and we’ll walk you through it.
